Back to Homeschool Planning
Those lazy days of summer feel few and far between most years. Even if you’re not schooling year round, summer break is here and gone in a flash and it’s time to start a new school year. Back-to-school planning for homeschool is a little easier with these checklists, tips, and resources to help you plan and prepare for your school year.
We’ll address fall calendars and schedules, cleaning and chore systems, meal planning, school supply shopping, paper systems, and more.
Maybe you’ve seen the movie You’ve Got Mail and remember the line Joe writes to Kathleen about fall…
Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.
I’m not in New York, but fall really does make me want to buy school supplies. All the bright white paper, shiny markers, and unbroken crayons create a fresh, new anticipation.
If you have kids and love to plan, September is truly the new January!
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Get a complete back-to-school planning pack in my Etsy shop. Print and plan for a great start to your school year!
Back-to-School Scheduling and Planning
Update Your Calendar
One of the first things to work on leading up to the new school year is updating your schedules and calendars. Whether you love your old-school paper planner or have gone fully digital, think through your fall schedule.
Here is a list of things to consider:
- lessons, classes, and sports practice
- work commitments
- volunteer commitments
- church commitments
- family celebrations
- game nights
- play dates
- appointments
Don’t forget to factor in driving time for all these things. You may have less time available than you think.
Back-to-School Checklist
- choose and purchase curriculum
- create schooling schedule
- decide on first day of school activities
- shop for school supplies
- set up kids’ workspaces
- organize teacher workspace
- update calendar with fall schedule (classes, practices, other commitments)
- create a cleaning schedule
- set up household chore assignments for kids
- organize kids’ clothing
- plan morning routine (and practice it)
- plan evening routine (and practice it)
- have a family meeting
- plan and prep two weeks of easy meals
- gather lunch ideas
- find breakfast ideas
- gather snack ideas
- shop for snack/lunch items
- shop for needed fall clothing items
Cleaning Schedule
With the routine of the school year comes the opportunity to set up a realistic cleaning schedule that works for your family. Decide on the tasks you want to get done daily, weekly, and monthly and assign them to a day of the week or month. Blocking out a specific time and creating a routine will make it easier to keep up with the tasks that need to be done regularly. Get your kids involved—they’ll need to know how to clean their own place someday.
Read: Cleaning Checklists for Busy Moms
Chore Systems
Starting a new school year is the perfect time to introduce a chore system that works with your family’s schedule. Have a family meeting and talk to your kids about the contribution they can make to the family by helping out with household chores. There are benefits to having them participate in clean up without a financial reward, as members of the family, as well as positive benefits to offering an allowance based on their hard work.
Here are a few options to consider when it comes to chore systems:
- parent assigns weekly chores
- have kids sign up for specific chores (weekly, monthly, or indefinitely)
- kids randomly choose chores (pull them out of a box or get really fancy and rig up a spinning wheel)
Choose one way or a combination. It’s important that your kids learn HOW to do all the tasks that are required to maintain a household, but not that they actually do them all regularly.
Read: 140 Essential Life Skills to Prepare Your Teen for Adulthood
Family Meeting
Speaking of family meetings, why not make them a regular occurrence? Give your kids a chance to participate in decision-making, resolve conflict, and ask questions in a family meeting.
Read: How to Hold a Family Meeting
Shopping and Sourcing for Back-to-School
Back-to-school planning for homeschool moms means choosing curriculum, setting up workspaces, and buying supplies.
Curriculum Checklist
Here’s a list of curriculum you should consider as you plan your school year. This is NOT a list of subjects you should study every year. Think about what areas you and your students need or want to cover. Generally speaking, math, some kind of language arts, science, and some area of social studies would be studied every year, along with a few elective-type courses.
- math
- writing
- literature
- grammar
- spelling
- handwriting/cursive
- science (earth science, biology, physics, chemistry)
- geography
- history (U.S. history, world history, ancient history)
- music
- art
- PE
- health
- foreign language
- typing
- technology
School Supplies List
As a homeschool mom, you get to decide what supplies your kids will use, in combination with what your curriculum requires. Here is a list of commonly used supplies that you may wish to keep stocked for your students.
- calendar/planner
- spiral notebooks
- composition books
- binders
- tabbed dividers
- file folders
- pocket folders
- construction paper
- loose-leaf paper
- copy paper
- graph paper
- index cards
- post-its
- dry-erase markers
- whiteboard
- pencils
- pens
- colored pencils
- crayons
- markers
- highlighters
- Sharpies
- red correction pencils
- watercolor paints
- watercolor paper
- rulers
- glue (white school glue)
- glue sticks
- Scotch tape
- scissors
- calculator
- protractor
- erasers
- pencil-top erasers
- pencil sharpener
- stapler
- staples
- binder clips
- paper clips
- push pins/tacks
- chalk
Some of my favorite teacher school supplies…
Read: Organization Tools for Homeschool or Online Learning
Kids’ Clothing Inventory
Even though homeschooled kids probably don’t do as much “back-to-school” clothes shopping as kids who are returning to a traditional school environment, it’s a good idea to take stock of what your kids have and what they need for fall and winter.
Get rid of anything that’s too small, too stained, or your kids just never wear. Make note of items they’ve outgrown over the summer that need to be replaced for next year (swimsuits, sandals, shorts). It’ll feel so good to get through this project before school starts. My kids love to put on a fashion show as they try on clothing that’s been passed down from older sisters or cousins.
Here’s a list of kids clothing items you may want to check off as you sort through their drawers and closets.
- jeans
- pants
- leggings
- shorts
- skirts
- short sleeved shirts
- long sleeved shirts
- sweatshirts/sweaters
- dressy sweater
- dresses/skirts
- zip-up sweatshirt/hoodie
- raincoat
- dressy winter coat
- casual winter coat
- underwear
- socks
- tights
- pajamas (summer and winter)
- tank tops
- bike shorts
- rainboots
- snow boots
- flip flops
- sneakers
- fall/winter boots
- belt
- slippers
- scarves
- mittens/gloves
- winter hat
- summer hat
- Christmas outfit
Back-to-School Food Prep and Planning
Meal planning and food preparation is a huge stressor for many moms. The people in your home seem to finish one meal and need another before you’ve even cleaned up the first one.
Here’s what you should do before school starts to help gain control over food and meal planning:
- Have a dinner meal plan for the first two weeks. Even better if you have two weeks worth of dinners pre-made and waiting in your freezer.
- Gather breakfast ideas.
- Make a list of healthy snacks.
- Gather lunch ideas.
Meal Prep and Plan for the First Two Weeks
No matter how well you prep and plan, the first couple weeks of the school year are always a little bit chaotic. Make life easier for yourself by setting up a simple dinner meal plan for those first two weeks. Plan to eat out, get pizza or takeout, prepare freezer meals, or stock up on convenience foods. Whatever you do, plan for it in advance.
In my Back-to-School Prep Pack, you’ll find a two-week meal planner, plus a list of easy pantry dinner ideas you can use to make dinner in a flash.
Read: 10 Easy No-Recipe Dinner Ideas
Breakfast Ideas
Whether you like to eat the same thing every morning or try something new as often as possible, it’s helpful to have a list of breakfast ideas. For those mornings you want to do something special for your kids or even have breakfast for dinner, this list of breakfast foods offers plenty of options.
- pancakes or waffles
- sheet pan pancakes
- Dutch baby pancake
- overnight oats
- baked oatmeal
- bacon/egg/cheese breakfast sandwich
- breakfast casserole or quiche
- breakfast burrito
- yogurt and granola
- breakfast cookies
- muffins or scones
- bagels with cream cheese
- avocado toast
- egg-in-a-hole
- smoothie
Read: Breakfast on Repeat: A Weekly Breakfast Plan
Lunch Ideas
Depending on your preferences, you may want to eat leftovers for lunch, have a standard lunch menu, or have your kids make their own lunch. Homeschooling means your kids are generally home for lunch. Teach them how to make their own lunch with my make your own lunch cheat sheet!
Here are some ideas to put in your easy lunch rotation:
- crackers and cheese
- quesadillas
- mini tacos with canned chicken and beans
- grilled cheese sandwiches
- meatball sub (frozen pre-cooked meatballs, rolls, and mozarella cheese)
- mini pizza on English muffins
- pasta salad
- tuna melt
- wrap with tortilla, deli meat, cheese, and lettuce
Snack Ideas
Your kids have probably been snacking and munching at all hours during the summer. Back-to-school can be a time to start fresh and encourage healthy snacking.
Here are some healthy snack ideas for your kids:
- grapes
- apples
- oranges
- berries
- bananas
- pineapple
- melon
- olives
- carrots
- snap peas
- bell pepper
- cucumber
- jicama
- tomatoes
- chickpeas
- pickles
- edamame
- boiled eggs
- walnuts
- almonds
- pumpkin seeds
- veggies with hummus
- Greek yogurt with fruit
- celery with peanut butter
- cucumber with tuna
- yogurt with homemade granola
- lettuce wrapped cheese & slice of chicken
- no sugar added applesauce
- whole grain toast with avocado & tomato
- baked sweet potato fries
- fruit skewers
- homemade granola bars
- fruit smoothie or green smoothie
- homemade fruit leather
- popcorn
Easy Pantry Dinner Ideas
Not just for back-to-school, these easy dinner ideas will work anytime you need to get a meal on the table fast. Add whatever fresh or canned fruit you have on hand and call it dinner!
- pre-washed salad mix + canned tuna
- meatball sub sandwich
- pre-made frozen turkey burgers
- cornbread + canned chili
- tortilla wrap sandwiches
- pasta w/pesto sauce + whatever veggies on hand
- BLT sandwiches
- tacos with canned beans, cheese, chopped tomatoes, and lettuce
- pasta with sausage, bell pepper, and pasta sauce
- frozen meatballs + frozen broccoli + rice
- bagel, English muffin, French bread, or naan pizza (mozarella, pepperoni, spinach, olives, or any toppings on hand)
- baked potatoes with canned chili or ham & cheese
- snack dinner: cheese & crackers, salami, veggies, finger sandwiches
- tuna melts
- grilled cheese sandwiches & canned soup
- quesadilas
- nachos
- breakfast for dinner (pancakes, waffles, eggs & bacon)
Back-to-School Paper Systems
Organize School Work
Planning for back-to-school means thinking about how you’ll organize kids’ school papers. The two main options are spiral notebooks or three-ring binders with loose-leaf paper. Notebooks could be organized with one notebook for each subject or a multi-subject notebook with subjects assigned to each section.
We’ve tried both, and I tend to prefer the loose-leaf paper. My kids never use an entire notebook, and they never want to reuse an old notebook the following year. A three-ring binder with tabbed dividers separating the various subject areas keeps completed work organized. We keep a stack of lined paper accessible for the kids to grab whenever they need it.
Brainstorm Homeschool Ideas
Another area that’s helpful to set up before school starts is a way to keep track of all those bits of information you want to save. There’s always a curriculum or book I want to investigate, and unit study or field trip ideas I want to remember.
Here are some categories to use for brainstorming and keeping track of homeschool ideas:
- homeschool curriculum
- read-aloud books
- books for the kids
- supplemental resources for current learning
- websites
- unit study and project ideas
- supplies it would be nice to have
- general homeschool notes and ideas
Monthly Homeschool Planning
Even if you change the plan partway through the year, it’s still helpful to start with a plan. I like to think in advance about specific topics, ideas, or skills to cover in a given month. In addition to that, I try to find fun quotes, music, or other content to help make school fun. Finally, I take a monthly look at how we’re doing, what might need to change, and what areas the kids need a little extra focus on.
Here’s a list of some things you might plan to do monthly:
- goals
- specific question or idea I want to research or find out more about
- quote of the month
- seasonal themes
- fun holidays or events
- character trait focus
- life skills focus
- field trip
- historical figure birthday
- invention/discovery in history
- country of the month
- scripture of the month
- brainstorm unit studies
- look for supplemental content
- tidy up workspace
- review benchmarks
- check in with your child about what they would like to change
- note what your child needs extra help or focus on
Visit my Monthly Lists resource page
Additional Back-to-School Planning Resources
Your child may not be hopping on a school bus or packing a backpack, but the first day of homeschool can still be momentous and exciting. I’ve got plenty of first day of school activity ideas for you, plus a car kit packing list to organize the “extra room” you’ll be spending hours in this fall. And finally, you’ll want a handy list of homework help websites for when your math explanations aren’t helping.
First Day of School Photos
People keep coming up with new ways to capture the first day of school image. I keep it simple with my kids holding a sign showing their “official” grade level. Here are some additional ways to memorialize the first day of school.
- take first day pictures in front of the school
- have them hold a chalkboard or whiteboard with specific things like favorite color, subject, summer memory, etc.
- buy an oversize shirt with “Class of _______” (graduating class year) on it to take first day pictures in every year
- take first day and last day pictures in the same outfit
- get first day pictures in front of your door
- let your kids use photo booth props to take silly first day pictures
First Day of Homeschool Activity Ideas
Your kids may not be thrilled to bring an end to their summer fun and start back to school. Ease into your school year with some of these first day of school activity ideas.
- first day pictures
- scavenger hunt
- upbeat music/theme song
- icebreaker games (e.g. discover your unicorn name, two truths and a lie, would you rather)
- brainstorm field trip ideas
- surprise them with fun art supplies
- brainstorm fun activities for the school year (games, crafts, special days)
- silly conversation starters
- make a time capsule
- art project
- make bookmarks
- journaling
- start to fill in a calendar or planner
- make a countdown chart or paper chain for the school year
- set up and decorate school binders
- share fun summer memories
- choose a word, quote, or scripture as a focus for the month
- show and tell
- visit the library
- go for a walk
- make and play in an obstacle course
- do a science experiment
- tell jokes
- breakfast bar
- donut party
- picnic lunch
- tea party lunch
- ice cream treat
- school day survival kit (gum, mints, chapstick, small candy, fidget toy)
- play a board game
- back-to-school Mad Libs
- read-aloud
- start an audiobook
- listen to a podcast
- watch a funny YouTube video
- take suggestions for morning time (morning meeting, morning work, music, stretching)
- start a reading log
- do a goal-setting exercise
- make a school year bucket list
- assign class jobs (librarian, supply ordering, newsletter, breakfast helper, bulletin board)
- choose a saying for display on a letter-board, whiteboard, or bulletin board
- start a school year scrapbook
Car Kit Packing List
Even though you’re not waiting in the school pick-up line, homeschool moms spend a significant chunk of time in their cars. Especially as kids get older and participate in more activities, you may spend as much time in your car as you do in some rooms of your house. Put together a car kit of supplies to be prepared for all that time spent driving and waiting.
Here is a list of supplies to consider adding to your car this fall:
- bottled water
- snacks (snack bars, fruit leather, goldfish)
- books
- travel games (Bingo, word search, Sudoku)
- clipboards
- deck of cards
- paper & pencils/pens
- lip balm
- motion sickness bands
- barf bags
- earbuds
- flashlight
- lint roller
- hair ties
- hairbrush
- mouthwash
- gum
- mints
- hand lotion
- pads/tampons
- tweezers
- sunscreen
- bug spray
- sunglasses
- plastic utensils
- baby wipes
- hand sanitizer
- first aid kit
- trash bags
- variety plastic baggies
- disposable gloves
- paper towels
- toilet paper
- umbrella
- blankets
- towel
- camp chairs
- extra shirts
- gloves
- hat
- extra clothing for kids
- sweatshirt/jacket
- ice scraper
- battery charger
Homework Help Resources
The needs change as the years go by, but resources to help you explain and reinforce specific learning are so important. Before school starts, take time to make a list of places you can turn to for practice of specific skills, knowledgeable answers to specific questions, and video teaching of concepts that you may struggle with. A great start is my post 20 Free Homework Help Resources for Parents.
Read: 20 Free Homework Help Resources for Parents
Back-to-School Planner Pack
There’s a lot to think about as you approach a new school year. I’ve made it easy for you to prepare and plan for the new school year with my printable back-to-school prep pack. You’ll find back-to-school checklists, supply lists, food lists, activity lists, and many more resources to help you get organized for back-to-school. Get the complete back-to-school planner pack in my Etsy shop.
Here are the basic areas to think about as you plan for back-to-school:
- Schedule and calendar
- Easy dinner plan for first two weeks
- Breakfast, lunch, and snack ideas
- Cleaning schedule + chore systems
- Homeschool curriculum
- Supplies + workspace setup
- Fall/winter clothing
- Paper systems for storing school papers
- System for tracking homeschool notes and ideas
- Monthly homeschool planning
- First day of school ideas
- Car kit supplies
- Homework help resources
If you love to plan and organize, back-to-school is a time of anticipation and excitement. The mistakes haven’t been made yet this year, the supplies are reasonably tidy, and you haven’t fallen “behind” where you want to be. Planning and organizing can’t completely prevent the mistakes, mess, and unpredictability, but it can reduce them. Here’s to a great new year!
Visit my homeschool resources page for monthly unit study ideas, projects, and homeschool planning help!
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